Okay, so I know celebrities are a main source of profit for the advertising industry, but there are countless controversial figures who shouldn’t appear on certain television stations. I feel this issue is extremely prominent among professional athletes, as tensions often run high between sport fan bases – especially when Cleveland sports are in question.
Sports rivalries have been around since the dawn of professional sports, creating bad blood between two cities that has lasted, and will continue to last, for decades to come. Over the past three years, the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers have met in the NBA Finals three consecutive times – each Finals set being more intense than the next. Needless to say, the Warriors don’t have the best reputation in The Land, which leads me to my next point: why would I, an avid Cleveland sports fan, ever purchase something sponsored by Steph Curry, or anyone associated with Golden State basketball? Put frankly, I wouldn’t consider it.
That being said, I couldn’t think of an explanation as to why Stephen Curry, the darling of the NBA and the Golden State Basketball organization, was trying to sell me water through a televised advertisement? A Cleveland-local station, might I add, which further strengthens my point: advertisers should be more conscious about where they air their commercials ads, and be more selective as to who appears in them.
Now, I’m sure there are many people who simply adore Steph Curry, most of whom reside on the West Coast. Curry’s TV ad was likely a major hit in Oakland, encouraging countless Golden State fans to buy from his sponsors. In Cleveland? Not so much.
I’m sure this is the case in countless other cities involved in sports rivalries. While Cleveland competes fiercely with Oakland, we also have intense competitions with Pittsburgh and Detroit, as the Browns are intense rivals with the Steelers and the Indians have a long history of bad blood with the Detroit Tigers. Although I’m listing Cleveland-local sports rivalries, my point still stands with sports organizations around the U.S. and across the globe – television advertisements should be aired thoughtfully and with caution.